(1) Field of the Invention
The invention pertains generally to enhancing information automatically made available at a public-safety answering point (PSAP) when an emergency call is placed. More specifically, the invention relates to automatically providing emergency information of the person experiencing the emergency to the PSAP operator who is handling the call.
(2) Description of the Related Art
When a guest staying in a hotel in North America needs emergency services such as police, fire, or ambulance, the guest will typically dial 9-1-1 using the telephone provided in their hotel room. The 9-1-1 call is recognized as an emergency call by the hotel's private branch exchange (PBX) and is connected to the local public-safety answer point (PSAP) that is responsible for serving the city or region at which the hotel is located.
Compliance with Enhanced 9-1-1 (E-911) requires automatically providing the PSAP operator with the physical location of the caller. For calls made from legacy hotels, the source caller ID (CID) associated with the emergency call will be the hotel's main phone number. In response to receiving the call, the PSAP computer system queries an automatic location information (ALI) database that maps the hotel's main phone number to the name and address of the hotel from which the call was placed. This information is displayed to the PSAP operator who can then dispatch emergency services to the hotel's location. However, since the specific location of the caller within the hotel is still unknown, the PSAP operator needs to verbally ask the caller for their specific room number.
In the event that that caller is unable to speak or the call is dropped before the PSAP operator obtains the room number, the PSAP operator must call the hotel's main number and ask the front desk staff which guest room is experiencing the emergency. The hotel's PBX system often includes an audit printer positioned near the front desk that automatically prints out a record of the guest room from which a call to 9-1-1 was placed along with the time and date of the call. By checking this printout front desk staff can help the PSAP operator direct emergency services to the correct guest room.
Delays in the PSAP operator obtaining the room number may significantly delay emergency service personal locating that person within the hotel. For this reason, in many states each hotel guest room is required by law to have a dedicated phone number (e.g., direct inward dial, DID). These dedicated phone numbers are each mapped to their respective room number of the hotel in the ALI database. As a result, when the PSAP receives an emergency call placed from a hotel guest room, the PSAP computer system queries the ALI database according to the source caller ID of the incoming call and obtains the name and address of the hotel along with the specific room number from which the call was placed. Beneficially, the PSAP operator is immediately aware of the exact room of the caller within the hotel and can dispatch emergency service providers to that location even if the caller is unable to speak.
A problem with current emergency dispatch systems is that the PSAP operators are only made aware of the location of the caller such as the name and address of the hotel and preferably also the room number within the hotel. However, often times there is additional information known in advance by the caller or the establishment from which the call was placed that would be useful for the PSAP operator. For example, many hospitality establishments such as hotels and long term care facilities are located near hospitals and guests staying at these establishments are undergoing or awaiting specific treatments. Further, some guests have known medical problems such as diabetes or allergies. It would be beneficial if the PSAP operator were automatically made aware of these and other kinds of personal emergency information upon receiving an emergency call rather than having to verbally obtain all such information from the caller or from a staff member at the establishment from which the call was placed.